Member Spotlight

Phillip and Charlene Luney
Poinciana, Fla.

FMCA membership number:  F284402 (joined FMCA in 2000)

FMCA chapter memberships:  Freightliner Chassis Owners Club

Our current motorhome:  a 2004 Alfa See Ya

Other motorhomes we have owned:  a 1984 Fleetwood Pace Arrow

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We enjoy the freedom of travel afforded in the motorhome lifestyle.

Three words that best describe our current motorhome:
Spacious, comfortable, reliable

The best thing about our motorhome is:
It has adequate storage space and provides all the comforts of home.

Occupations:
We're both retired. Phil: internal auditor, Eastern Airlines, 17 years; City Of Miami, finance, 15 years. Charlene: high school business technology education teacher, 35 years

Children: one grown daughter

The best thing about motorhoming is:
We can set our own time schedule.

Amount of time per year we spend traveling in our motorhome:
About 4½ months

When we’re not motorhoming, we’re:
Spending time at home in Poinciana, Fla., where we reside in an adult community that offers unlimited activities. We fish the Kissimmee chain of lakes and also visit theme parks and other attractions in nearby Orlando and other central Florida locations.

Our all-time favorite motorhome trip was:
Alaska — its breathtaking beauty and awesome salmon fishing

Other favorite motorhoming destinations:
To Maine and Nova Scotia’s Maritime Provinces, particularly Peggy’s Cove

One of our fondest motorhoming memories is:
The scenic Richardson Highway en route to Valdez, Alaska, and driving through the Canadian Rockies

Our “dream” motorhome trip would be:
Another trip to Alaska. Alaska was our dream trip. It was our retirement celebration. The mountains, streams, glaciers and wildlife were more spectacular than we ever imagined.

Our worst motorhoming experience was:
It was a fishing trip planned to South Carolina, but we never made it in our Pace Arrow. We spent five days in Wildwood, Fla., at the repair shop. We were towed there early one morning. They diagnosed, repaired and sent us on our way. We traveled approximately 10 miles and broke down again. After the second breakdown, we took the mechanic on the test drive. They were diligent and finally got us on our way just in time to return home and go back to work.

The best alteration/addition we’ve made to our motorhome is:
None. That was one reason we chose the Alfa. It came with all the things we wanted in a motorhome without having to add or modify anything.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn’t know when we started is:
We spent 4½ months on the road and didn’t really tire of our home on wheels. It is much better than expected.

When driving the motorhome, the most important thing to remember is:
Always remember it takes more time to stop the motorhome; don’t tailgate. Watch out for other drivers.

Our favorite thing about FMCA is:
We utilized the mail forwarding on our 4½-month trip and the courteous staff was very efficient in forwarding our mail promptly. We enjoy reading FMC magazine articles. It contains helpful information and we use it as a source of reference.

A motorhoming tip we’d like to share with other motorhomers is:
Do not prepare a rigid schedule. Enjoy the freedom to move from a location whenever you want. We never make all campsite reservations before leaving home and we have always found a place to stay.

Our hobbies are:  fishing, novice golfer wannabees

Favorite ways to exercise:  biking, walking

Favorite movie:
We enjoy all movies starring Denzel Washington for my wife and Halle Berry for me.

Favorite book:  The Holy Bible

Favorite restaurant:  Cheesecake Factory

Favorite stores:
Home accessories and clothing stores for my wife and fishing tackle stores for me

Favorite campground:
Alaska’s Williwaw Campground in Chugach National Forest, near Anchorage. Exit the Seward Highway at the Portage Glacier turnoff. We had a beautiful campsite with mountains in our front window and tall pines surrounding us. We could hear the water flowing from the glaciers. It was a beautiful and serene site.

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:
Theme parks in Orlando

An item that we always keep in our motorhome refrigerator while traveling: 
Ice cream

Our advice to new motorhomers is:
Prepare two checklists, one for preparation and packing and one for breaking camp.

Preparation and packing: Make a list of all the things you will need. Do not over pack. Remember there are stores on the way to your destination.

For breaking camp: Don’t rush. Make sure all things are in order before you take off down the road. We use a checklist to make sure we don’t forget anything.

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 1998 Saturn 4-door sedan, using a tow bar and a BrakeBuddy auxiliary braking system

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome is:
Watch TV, play backgammon, listen to music, read, and eat our meals

Other FMCA members may contact us via e-mail at:  cluney@verizon.net